(Not) just a button. How complex energy processes are transformed into understandable online services
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On the other side of the screen: who is digitizing services and how
More than 2,300 customer service employees work in the distribution system operators of DTEK Network. One of them, Oleksandra Zaitseva, is an expert in the customer service department of DTEK Odesa Electric Grid. Its main task is to implement the opportunity for the client to arrange all the company’s services in online channels, that is, to digitize everything.
“For this, I need to digitize and automate the client’s journey as much as possible. These are all the client’s actions that he performs before ordering a product or service. For example, previously the client had to fill out an application for joining on his own. Now it is formed automatically by the system based on a questionnaire in his personal account. This reduces the risk of human error and the time to process the application. And such changes have taken place in all OSRs,” says Oleksandra.
The next important stage of digitization performed by an expert is the analysis of the business process. Historically, the processes of different distribution system operators were not always structured in the same way. For example, in Kyiv, impressions submitted by the client through the site were sent to the responsible employee by mail, while in Dnipropetrovsk region impressions were stored in a file on the server. But for greater efficiency, it is necessary for the data to enter the IT system directly and automatically – this is what currently happens in all OSRs. Thus, the client immediately sees his latest meter readings and, after transferring new ones, receives a notification that there is no error, and if there is, recommendations on how to correct it.
Next, Oleksandra compares the business process with the client path and describes how and what should happen at the level of IT systems.
“We analyze the best global practices, apply the experience of each product owner and listen to the ideas of colleagues from other departments. We mainly borrow ideas from international colleagues to improve usability – ease of use for the client. But in general, I cannot say that there is any foreign role model or extraordinary service, which we would 100% want to implement,” the expert continues.
But the final result does not always depend only on the work of customer service specialists. The ease of service is affected by the regulatory norms by which the operators of the distribution system work. They dictate, in particular, the specific terms to be used, what information to request from the client, and what the documents should look like.
“When I didn’t work here yet and was an average client of the company, I wondered why it was not possible to speak more simply, automate more processes, etc. And as soon as I got a job, I realized that this is not always possible,” emphasizes Oleksandra Zaitseva.
The expert spends almost the entire day at work meetings. Between them, he outlines the client’s path and conducts workshops with colleagues so as not to miss anything. Oleksandr shows the crystallized idea to the business customer, and already then moves on to communication with the technical team.
“Already after 6:00 p.m., I can calmly draw the client’s path and create mockups – prototypes of the visual presentation of online services,” she adds.
After the full-scale invasion, the work of customer service specialists has become more intense, because the demand for online services has grown rapidly in all areas. This stimulated to continue the online transformation and to do it even faster. As a result, last year alone, almost 3.5 million customers of DTEK Network distribution system operators used online services.
“In 2022, we began to introduce new online services more dynamically. And in October of last year, all OSRs had to create a service that had never existed anywhere in the world – schedules of stabilization shutdowns. In addition, we ourselves lived in conditions of lack of light and at the same time, they had to communicate with clients 24/7. That’s why they developed shifts that allowed them to cover colleagues during outages,” recalls Oleksandra.
In the early days of large-scale shelling, these were simply PDF files that changed almost hourly. But this method was inconvenient for both the client and employees – the files were very large. That is why experts added a functionality in chatbots that showed the necessary information about disconnection. In addition, they began to develop schedules of stabilization shutdowns for sites – they already gave an opportunity to plan your life.
“Clients are not just abstract people, they are someone’s relatives, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, including mine. If we had not given them information, chaos would probably have started. In the first days of shelling, everyone felt what it was like to sit in the dark , in a closed space, when the light, communication, and Internet disappeared. Therefore, this was the motivation – no matter how hard it is, to inform the client that we are working, we are not all bad,” Oleksandra shares.
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